US Box Office Roundup
1. Happy Death Day
For the second half of October, the Americans have turned morbid. Happy Death Day, featuring a cast of unknown, took down the mighty Blade Runner 2049, with USD43.3 million in takings to rest comfortably at the top of the Box Office charts for the past two weeks. In essence, the movie is about a college girl who must relive the day of her murder over and over again, until her killer is unmasked. It’s like watching Groundhog Day- the horror version. The movie literally came out of nowhere and hurtled straight to the top of the charts. Critics have called it a “Slasher Mean Girls”, and all we can say is… Jessica Rothe, now is your time.
2. Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween
Ranked second in the US Box office for the latter half of October is Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween. The mouthful title did little to hurt the movie’s popularity, with USD25.5 million in box office takings, edging past the masterful pairing of Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. Although both are tied to Halloween, the distinctively morose Happy Death Day couldn’t be more different from this comedy horror. Tyler Perry stars as three characters in the movie, about a frat party at a haunted campground gone wrong when monsters, goblins, and the boogeyman came out of nowhere to wreak havoc. The critics hate it with a passion, which usually means the moviegoers love it.
3. Blade Runner 2049
Coming in third this fortnight is Blade Runner 2049, almost into its fourth week of release, with USD21.37 million. Sure, curiosity is winding down about the replicants, but the Gosling die-hards are still going gooey-eyed about their heartthrob, who perfected the brooding look in the movie.
Singapore Box Office Roundup
1. Blade Runner 2049
As predicted, the word of mouth on the show has gotten the best of the movie-going crowd. They’ve transited from “Is the movie worth watching?” to actually watching the movie, contributing to its USD266k in takings for the past two weeks. Amongst the topics being discussed after watching are “Sean Young looks… young!”, “The actress who played Joi is really hot”, and “Blade Runner is a Bladder trainer”.
2. Happy Death Day
Halloween is on our minds quite a bit for the past week or so, which means Happy Death Day (USD215k) makes the perfect horror movie to get into the mood for All Hallows Eve. That and the fact that Happy Death Day went on an aggressive YouTube trailer campaign. We couldn’t really watch any YouTube video a day without coming across the trailer for this movie. And the trailer looks good- a hot young girl getting killed over and over again, that's practically a fantasy for any young hot-blooded male.
3. American Assassin
Released in Singapore only on the 18th October, local teenage girls have to wait at least one month after their American counterparts to ogle at the heartthrob that is Dylan O-Brien. With USD103k takings these past two weeks, up and comer O’Brien might be the sole reason for American Assassin’s third-place ranking. As a sidekick in TV series Teen Wolf turned leading teen heartthrob in the Maze Runner movies, O’Brien holds his own in this action thriller. With American Assassin, he shifts from playing teenagers to transit into adult roles. With a storyline which critics described as bland, it’s O’Brien’s charm and co-star Michael Keaton’s committed performance that shift the movie from sad to stirring.
